Secularism and Islam in Turkey: A Historical Perspective by Mustafa Gökçek
By Dialogue International • Apr 23rd, 2010 • Category: Headline, Recent EventsThe speaker event “Secularism and Islam in Turkey: A Historical Perspective” was held at 1221 Humanities building on April 23rd, 2010.
The current debates in Turkey on secularism and the role of Islam in government have their roots in the Ottoman Empire. The late Ottoman intellectual debates were vibrant and passionate in bringing up most controversial issues including the secularization of the Ottoman state. The spread of nationalism through the Turkic intellectuals of Russia enabled the development of secularist ideas in the Ottoman Empire. This speaker event looks into the late Ottoman debates on secularism and Islam, and discusses how ideas of modernization, nationalism, and secularization were combined in an Islamic discourse. Total length of the event is 55 minutes, which can be viewed as a video file at bottom of this page.
About the Speaker
Dr. Mustafa Gökçek received his BA and MA in International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara. After studying Russian and conducting research in Moscow for his master’s thesis on the Caspian Sea and legal issues among its littoral states, he pursued doctoral studies in History at the UW-Madison. Dr. Gökçek wrote his dissertation on Tatar intellectual influence in the late Ottoman discussions on Islam and nationalism. He is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY, teaching courses on Middle Eastern, Russian, and Central Asian history.
Sponsors
ASM Associated Students of Madison
MSC Multicultural Council – Multi Cultural Student Center
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